Smart Row housing - Bergen op Zoom, NL

Social tenants experiencing the Swiss-life feeling: villa architecture at a new construction site in Bergen op Zoom.

Key themes

Row housing with individual expression

Integrated smooth interaction between architectural and public space

Social machine to connect generations due to functional flexibility

Mix of open plan and closed rooms

This design for 17 ground-level homes translates the friendly and generous functionality of bungalows and villas into a (rollatorand wheelchair-) friendly series of homes.

The space between the street and the front door is kept wide, and subtle zoning provides a soft transition between public and: the front door has a natural awning. The kitchens, located on the street side, have a bay window, and the front gardens are separated from the sidewalk by a wall or hedge.

The friendly nature of the architecture is reflected in the housing typology: bedrooms and bathrooms can be installed in the so-called bonus beech on the ground floor, this way if necessary and/ or desired, the house can be completely habitable on the ground floor. The houses have an extra wide façade on one side due to their bayonet floor plans.

The project fits in with the environment: the prevailing urban development plan has an image quality plan based on the 1930s, the atmosphere and functionality of which are reflected in the design. The lightness of the new Dutch suburbs comes together in this project in all its facets.